Ardo accuses APC Government of alleged political thuggery
From Umar Dankano, Yola
The Adamawa state 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic party (SDP). Dr. Umar Ardo has accused the APC led government of sponsoring thug s to intimidate perceived political opponents in the country.
Ardo made the accusation in a press release he personally signed and issued to the media on Friday protesting the pattern of alleged violent strategies being orchestrating by the APC to silent opposition politicians citing attacks on Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai in Kaduna state and that on Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Mallami in Kebbi state.
In the release captioned “APC’s Thuggery;A direct threat to Democracy, Ardo observed with dismay that, If this dangerous path is not halted, Nigeria risks sliding into a culture where political violence replaces ideas and policies as the means of gaining power.
He cautioned that, if the ugly and avoidable trends are left unchecked, this will ultimately destroy the credibility of the 2027 general elections and plunge our country into instability.
“In the past one week, Nigerians have witnessed a disturbing pattern of violence and intimidation orchestrated against opposition figures. Thugs were unleashed on Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in Kaduna; the convoy of former Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, was attacked in Kebbi; and elders in Katsina seeking solutions to insecurity were violently dispersed.
“Shockingly, instead of investigating and prosecuting the perpetrators, the police have now invited El-Rufai and seven members of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) for questioning over allegations of conspiracy, incitement and public disturbance. This inversion of justice is unacceptable.
“What we see is a deliberate strategy by the APC government to unleash thuggery to suppress opposition, then use state institutions to criminalise dissent. Such tactics undermine the rule of law, breed fear and erode the foundations of democracy.
“I thus call on the APC government and President Bola Tinubu to desist from these undemocratic practices, and for the police to return to their constitutional duty of impartiality. Democracy can only survive where opposition is respected, dissent is protected and justice is blind to partisan interests”. Ardo maintained.
